The present invention relates to an improvement in dryer-activated, e.g., dryer-added, laundry additive products and compositions. These products and/or compositions may be either in particulate form, compounded with other materials in e.g., tablets, pellets, agglomerates, foams, etc., or preferably attached to a substrate.
Due to economic considerations and convenience, consumer use of automated drying of laundered garments has increased in popularity in recent years. Not surprisingly, consumer use of dryer-activated additive compositions has also been increasing steadily. The popularity of these compositions has risen in part due to consumer desire to impart various properties to fabrics easily and quickly during the laundry process. A wide variety of ingredients have been suggested for use in laundry additive compositions to enhance the appearance and feel of fabrics. Fabric softeners provide both softening and anti-static benefits to fabrics. Perfumes deliver pleasing odors and freshness. Thus, dryer-activated additive products offer convenience, ease of use, and affordable economics to consumers as well as being superior delivery systems for desirable laundry additives such as perfumes and softeners.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,020,302 issued Feb. 1, 2000 to Leurentop, et al. discloses fabric softening compositions comprising a dye fixing agent and an amino-functional polymer for providing color care benefits to fabrics upon laundry treatments. Dryer-activated fabric softening compositions are disclosed and perfume, preferably protected by a carrier material such as zeolite, is noted as an optional component of these compositions.
European Patent Application No. EP 1 061 124 A1, published Dec. 20, 2000 (Givaudan SA) is directed to a method of preparing a protected fragrance matrix by absorbing the perfume on a solid absorbent. Use of the protected fragrance matrix on fabric softener sheets is also disclosed.
The present invention relates to fabric conditioning articles comprising perfumed particles for use in automatic clothes dryers. Methods for using the articles are also provided. Improved softness, perfume delivery from sheet substrates (lower m.p. range), and/or antistatic effects may also be provided.
The present invention relates to a dryer-added fabric conditioning article comprising a substrate in the form of a sheet and a fabric conditioning composition disposed on said sheet. The fabric conditioning composition comprises i) at least about 1% by weight of one or more fabric conditioning actives and ii) perfumed particles. The perfumed particles comprise porous inorganic carrier particles and a perfume composition absorbed and/or adsorbed on said carrier particles, wherein said perfume composition comprises less than about 30%, preferably less than about 15%, more preferably less than about 8%, even more preferably less than about 6%, still more preferably less than about 3%, and still more preferably less than about 1% by weight of the perfume composition of unstable perfume ingredients preferably selected from the group consisting of allylic alcohol ester, secondary alcohol ester, tertiary alcohol ester, allylic ketone, condensation product of amines and aldehydes, and mixtures thereof, more preferably selected from the group consisting of allylic alcohol ester, secondary alcohol ester, tertiary alcohol ester, allylic ketone, acetal, ketal, condensation product of amines and aldehydes, and mixtures thereof.
The present invention further provides a dryer-added fabric conditioning article comprising a substrate in the form of a sheet, and a fabric conditioning composition disposed on said sheet. The fabric conditioning composition comprising i) at least about 10% by weight of one or more fabric conditioning actives and ii) perfumed particles. The perfumed particles comprise porous inorganic carrier particles and a perfume composition absorbed and/or adsorbed on said carrier particles, wherein said perfumed particles further comprise a coating encapsulating at least a portion of said perfumed particles.
The articles of the present invention preferably comprise a package for enclosing the article(s). The package has a moisture barrier with a water vapor transmission rate of less than about 1.0 g H2O/day/m2, preferably less than about 0.5 g H2O/day/m2, more preferably less than about 0.3 g H2O/day/m2, and even more preferably about 0.1 g H2O/day/m2.
A process aspect of the present invention provides methods for depositing a fabric conditioning composition comprising a perfume composition on fabric so as to provide softness, antistatic effect and/or improved dry fabric odor. The methods comprise the step of contacting fabric with an article of the present invention.
All documents cited are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention.